Spotlight on social networks used to spread propaganda

PLACED on the otherwise-bare walls of the Raqqa café where four jihadists regularly met are the logos of Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp, the three tech services most commonly associated with being used by Isil to spread propaganda and organise its attacks.

The networks have regularly been criticised for aiding and abetting terrorist activity and failing to do enough to halt the online rise of Isil.

While there is no suggestion that the tech company logos in the video represents an endorsement by the jihadists, the sight of the instantly identifiable symbols is yet another uncomfortable reminder of the association between Isil and the services that the terrorist group uses to amplify its messages.

Last week, Twitter revealed that almost one million terrorist accounts had been removed in two years.

The Whatsapp messaging app has been criticised as a safe space as its universal end-to-end encryption thwarts counter-terrorist attempts to intercept communications.

Facebook has also promised to do more to counter Isil propaganda in recent months after MPS proposed fining it and other large companies if they fail to take media offline quick enough.